They’re called sandboxes, but we never play with them more than once. Video game open worlds are magical, intricate places where anything and everything can happen, were even the most unassuming alley can be the start of an adventure. It’s about time we gave them the respect they deserve.

The myth, the man, the Snake. Metal Gear Solid’s leading man is everything men want and women want to be. He’s also a broken shell of a man that breaks down everything it means to be that hero everyone loves. A whirling mess of battle scars and murder memories.

In space, no-one can hear you plot. FTL’s bare-bones narrative style does the job amid the ship explosions and deadly pirate battles, but isn’t ideal for immersion. Take a look at how text boxes and lasers don’t mix, how they do, and how they could with just a little tweaking. [This post originally appeared on AWESOMEoutof10.]

Video games have been stealing stories from the past for years, but that’s not always a bad thing. Fraser investigates the curiously close connections between The Odyssey and Mistwalker’s Lost Odyssey, and ponders the purpose of it. You can never escape the monomyth.

Welcome to Diamond Dogs, we’re the good guys. You can never leave because things are just so great here, and if you disagree with how we do things we’ll just have to try harder to convince you. Don’t worry, this will all seem very normal in a few days, after we strip you of your clothes, your name, your family and any incompatible thought processes.

What separates an adventure from a mere mission? Metroid and its ilk are all about exploring alien worlds and unlocking their secrets, so let’s dig around and figure out how that works. It’s all about the dissemination of appropriate tools and designing environments that know how to preserve their modesty.

The Northern Realms’ favourite monster killer might look like he has his life pretty well sorted, what with all the fat loot, rugged good-looks, beautiful women and exciting career opportunities, but it’s not all about money, sex and fun parties. Almost none of it is about parties, actually. Geralt hates parties.